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Information for:

Case of A.R.

October 18, 2005

- Initial Filing

November 4, 2005

- Interim agreement reached

Until October 2008

- Case monitored until closure

YELP clinic student Christine Sebourn ('08) worked swiftly to prevent the expulsion of A. R., a 7-year-old student with autism spectrum disorder. Not only was the school district poised to expel him for behaviors clearly related to his disability, but it was the district itself that had set A.R. up for failure in school. Just three months earlier, A.R. had been thriving at a private school equipped to deal with his disability when the district suddenly decided to stop paying his tuition. This left A.R.’s mother, a low-income, single parent, no choice but to enroll him in the school district's general education program where, unsurprisingly, A.R. exhibited extreme behavioral outbursts. YELP took quick action, filing a complaint and emergency motion to enjoin the district from moving forward with its plans to expel A.R. and to compel the district to return A.R.to his "stay put," private school placement. Following an expedited negotiation and mediation process, the district agreed to return A.R.to his private school placement where he once again excelled.